


iN MEMORIAM 
Edwar rl Henking Harden. 


Obiit XIX April MDCCCLXNXII/, 
‘ 


Aetatis sie L1X, 








. a + 
PROCEEDINGS, 


RESOLUTIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS, 


COMMEMORATIVE 


OF THE 


HON. EDWARD J. HARDEN, 


ATTORNEY FOR THE CITY OF SAVANNAH, AND PRESIDENT 


OF THE GEORGIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY, 


WE ODER DprA P Re LoOth, Lass: 








Cui Pudor et Justitie soror, 
Ineorrupta Fides, nudaque Veritas 
Quando ullum invenient parem 2” 


THE GEORGIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY: 
JUNE, 1873. 
PRINTED AT THE MORNING NEWS OFFICE. 


16. 


~ 
~ 
Xa 


* aE 
{ 
: ‘ 
’ 
' 
‘ 
tym 
. 
') ryt vur 
e 
J 
' 
. 
* 
- - - 
{ 
* 
i d 


: 
‘ 
: 


bf. 







Ae ARN eeay 


vin las, Ne ae) 
1 ‘ y 


- 

Pit i HOA ae 

ey 

BM ur A eae 


THIS MEMORIAL PAMPHLET 


IS ISSUED UNDER AUTHORITY, AND BY DIRECTION, OF THE GEORGIA HISTORICAL 
SOCIETY, BY ITS COMMITTEE, (CONSISTING OF DR. R. D. ARNOLD, HON. 
SOLOMON COHEN, WM. S. BOGART, ESQ., DR. J. HARRISS, AND 
HON. T. M. NORWOOD,) IN ORDER TO GATHER INTO 
ONE, THE PROCEEDINGS AND RESOLUTIONS 
OF VARIOUS PUBLIC BODIES, AND ALSO 
SUCH PRIVATE COMMUNIOATIONS 
AS CAME TO HAND, 


COMMEMORATIVE 
OF ITS 


LATE LAMENTED PRESIDENT, 


Hon. EDWARD JS HARDEN. 





From the Sayannah Daily Advertiser, Sunday, 20th April, “1873. 


DEATH OF HON. EDWARD J. HARDEN. 





Our community was shocked on yesterday by the announce- 
ment of the death of Judge Edward J. Harden, which event 
occurred suddenly, at the Indian Springs, at a very early hour. 

Judge Harden was one of the oldest and most prominent mem- 
bers ot the Savannah Bar. He was a genial and accomplished 
gentleman, an humble Christian, and a most estimable citizen, 
both in public and private life. 

He was born in the county of Bryan, on the 19th of November, 
1813. Pursuing his education in that county, he came to Savan- 
nah when quite a young man and accepted a teacher’s place in 
the Chatham Academy, then under the supervision of Professor 
George White. He subsequently studied law, was admitted to 
the Bar, and opened an office in this city in 1834, since which 
time he has resided here. 

Judge Harden was at one time Judge of the City Court of Sa- 
vannah. During the war he was Judge of the Confederate Court 
for the District of Georgia, and at the time of his death occupied 
the position of City Attorney. 

After the decease of Bishop Elliott, Judge Harden was elected 
to succeed him as President of the Georgia Historical Society. 

He never mingled in political life, but devoted himself to the 
practice of his profession, and the culture of his literary tastes. 
The result of the latter has been given to the public in the shape 
of a memorial of the life, character and services of Governor 
George M. Troup. 

On the 17th of November last, Judge Harden was attacked with 
a carbunele on his neck. After long suffering, he rose from his 
bed to find his system completely shattered by the attack. By 
the advice of his physicians, he went a week since to the Indian 
Springs in search of health and strength. Tidings from him 
which gave hopes of speedy improvement, have been followed by 
the announcement of his death. He leaves a widow and five 
children, to whom in their affliction the tenderest sympathies of 
the whole community go forth. 


6 IN MEMORIAM. 


From the Savannah Daily Republican, Sunday, 20th April, 1873. 


JUDGE HARDEN. 


BORN 19TH NOVEMBER, 1813—DIED 19TH APRIL, 1873. 


The painful intelligence reached Savannah yesterday morning 
that Judge Harden suddenly died at Indian Springs. 

The immediate cause of this unexpected calamity was not 
stated in the brief telegram to his family announcing the sad 
event. 

On last Sunday night, Judge Harden left the city with his wife 
to pass a few days in the interior for recreation and change, with 
the hope that the tour wonld strengthen and invigorate his sys- 
tem, after the long and protracted confinement of his recent 
illness. He expected to return yesterday, improved and better 
prepared to meet the duties of life; and in the inscrutable order 
of things, it has transpired that just one day later than this 
appointed time, his family and friends and the people of Savan- 
nah are called upon in sorrow and in sadness to do the last 
honors to the departed citizen and jurist. 

In last November, he was attacked with a carbuncle on the 
neck, which confined him to his bed until the middle of last 
March, and these long months of suffering and pain so prostrated 
his physical energies and shattered his nervous system, that the 
vital forces were too enfeebled to rally from the shock. 

Judge Edward Jenkins Harden was born in Bryan county, on 
the Medway river, the 19th day of November, 1813. When quite 
a youth, he entered the arena of life as Assistant Teacher in the 
Chatham Academy, under the Rev. George White as Principal in 
charge. Subsequently teaching in the counties of Bryan and 
Glynn, he at the same time prosecuted the study of the law, and 
in 1834 was admitted to the practice in Georgia. 

Immediately opening an office in Savannah—the site of which 
is now occupied by the Custom House, on Bull street—the young 
attorney applied himself with a zeal and earnestness to his pro- 
fession which soon won him a prominent and enviable position 
at the bar. 

Before the war he was for a time judge of the City Court of 
Savannah, and during the existence of the Southern Confederacy 
was Confederate States Judge for the district of Georgia. 


HON. EDWARD J. HARDEN. 7 

At the cessation of armed hostilities, he returned to his home 
in the Forest City, from which he had been driven by the Federal 
forces under Sherman, and resumed the practice of his profession, 
forming with Capt. S. Yates Levy the law firm of Harden & Levy, 
now as well known and as prominent as any law partnership in 
the State. For several vears he was City Attorney of Savannah, 
and held the position at the time of his death. 

During his life, Judge Harden eschewed the allurements of a 
political career, and devoted himself singly and with that marked 
fidelity to the law, which that most jealous mistress demands in 
the favorites she crowns with her best honors, and he was one of 
these. 

While pursuing the inexhaustible researches of the profession, 
Judge Harden, though like Judge Blackstone among the most 
accomplished English lawyers, did not deny himself the rich 
pleasures of literature, and was a gleaner of the rarest and 
amplest productions of classical fields; and had worthily and 
well long held the office of President of the Georgia Historical 
Society. 

Few men surpassed him in legal lore and learning ; few, in a 
thororgh and happy acquaintance with the great thoughts of the 
great minds of the past; and none, in the amenities of social, 
domestic and professional life. 

While his family and Savannah mourn in his death, even at the 
ripe age of nearly three score years, an irreparable loss, the bar 
of Georgia and the whole State sadly unite in lamenting the 
closing of a career which reflected honor upon the profession 
and lustre upon the commonwealth. 

The funeral services of Judge Harden will take place from the 
First Presbyterian Church, of which he was a ruling elder, at 4 
o'clock this afternoon. 





From the Sayannah Daily Morning News, Monday, 2]st April, 1873. 


Td Ei dd ON 9, B.ED Ti DLN 





HIS DEATH AND BURIAL. 


The intelligence of the sndden death of Judge E. J. Harden, 
at Indian Springs, reached this city on Saturday morning, and 


8 IN MEMORIAM. 

occasioned genuine and heartfelt sorrow throughout the entire 
community, with which he hud so long and favorably been iden- 
tified. On the 17th of last November, Judge Harden was at- 
tacked with a carbuncle on his neck, and was confined to his bed 
for several months, but after severe suffering, which completely 
prostrated his physical energies and shattered his nervous sys- 
tem, he made his appearance again among his friends, but so 
altered that many at first failed to recognize him. About a week 
or ten days since be went to Indian Springs, in the hope of re- 
gaining completely his health and strength, and the reports from 
him which gave encouragement of speedy recovery were quickly 
followed by the announcement of his death. He leaves a wife 
and five children, who in this hour of trouble have the warmest 
sympathy of the community which loved and honored the de- 
ceased. 

Judge Harden was born in Bryan county, m 1813, and when 
quite a young man came to this city and entéred life as a teacher 
in Chatham Academy, then under the superintendence of Prof. 
Geo. White. Subsequently he devoted himself to the law, passed 
a highly creditable examination, was admitted to the Bar, and in 
1834 opened an office in this city, where he has since continued 
to reside. 

He was at one time Judge of the City Court of Savannah, and 
during the war was Confederate States Judge for the District of 
Georgia. At the close of hostilities he returned to the city, and 
forming a copartnership with Capt. 5S. Yates Levy, resumed the 
practice of his profession. He was subsequently elected City 
Attorney, which position he filled to the eutire satisfaction of the 
public up to the time of his death. 

Judge Harden was no politician, and devoted himself exe!u- 
sively to his profession and the eratification of his literary taste, 
the result of the latter being seen in the memorial of the lie, 
character and services of Governor George M. Troup. After the 
death of Bishop Elliott, Judge Harden was elected to succeed 
him as President of the Georgia Historical Society. 

He was no less loved and esteemed as a man than he was dis- 
tinguished as a sound and able jurist. Witty, genial, accom- 
plished, a thorough gentleman, there were few men as popular 
in any circle as he whose demise we have here recorded, and his 
memory will long be cherished most affectionately and reverently 
by those who knew lim best. ' 


HON. EDWARD J. HARDEN. 9 


His funeral took place yesterday afternoon from the First Pres- 
byterian church, of which he had long been an Elder. The re- 
mains were borne from the late residence of the deceased to the 
church about 4 o'clock in the afternoon. 

The services were conducted by Rey. D. H. Porter, pastor, and 
were of the most impressive character. The funeral was very 
largely attended by our most prominent citizens, and by the 
members of the Georgia Historical Society. 





From the Savannah Daily Advertiser, 24th April, 1873. 


TRIBUTE OF RESPECT. 


At the meeting of Council last night, his Honor Mayor Ander- 
son, referred in feeling terms to the death of the late Judge 
Edward J. Harden, and requested the Clerk to read the following 
resolutions, which were adopted: 


Wauereas, It has pleased Almighty God to remove from among 
us a citizen well beloved and respected, and who has for many 
years past occupied a position of high trust under the govern- 
ment of this city; now be it 

Resolved, by the Mayor and Aldermen of the City of Savannah, 
in Council assembled— 

1st. That we have learned with deep sorrow and concern of 
the death of the Hon. Edward J. Harden, lately the Corporation 
Attorney, a prominent and useful citizen of this community, and 
who for many years past has been a trusted and devoted servant 
of the city. 

2d. That in his death we recognize not only the loss of a 
valuable citizen, but also of one who in his professional capacity 
was invaluable to Council for his devotion, ability and fidelity to 
the interests of Savannah. 

3d. That outside of his relations with the City Government, 
we recognize an integrity of life, and a purity of example, which 
call for acknowledgment of Counal and recommendation of so 
bright an example to our citizens. 

4th. That a copy of these resolutions be furnished, with the 
assurance of the deepest sympathy of Council, to the grief- 
striken family of our deceased friend; and that they be published 
in the official proceedings of this meeting. 


10 IN MEMORIAM. 


From the Savannah Daily Morning News, 26th April, 1873, 
COMMUNICATED. 
THE LATE JUDGE HARDEN, 

The death of Judge Harden will carry sorrow to the heart of 
every one who knew the man. The writer of this knew him first 
at the tender age of eight years, when he was pupil and the 
Judge his preceptor. The attachment then formed for him has 
lasted more than forty years, and will not cease as long as he 
shall be spared. It was founded in the kindness of the man toa 
helpless little boy, who found all othersin the same connection 
austere, if not severe. About the year 1832, Chatham Academy 
was in the zenith of its career. It numbered from two hundred 
to two hundred and fifty students, and some six or seven assist- 
ant teachers. Among these at one time was the late Hon. E. J. 
Harden, then, of course, a very young man. Up tothe time of 
his coming, nothing could be more mournful to the writer than 
the sound of the bell summoning the little fellows to enter into 
that dark and dismal pit of a vestibule, which was in keeping 
with the “blue bench,” and the strap that reigned supreme up- 
stairs. Then Solomon’s maxim of “Spare the rod and spoil the 
child,” obtained almost everywhere. At this juncture, it was the 
writer’s good fortune to be transferred to the tutorage of young 
Harden. He soon found him kind and considerate to all his 
pupils, especially to those of tender years. His rule was in such 
marked contrast with that of others, who looked solely to the 
fears of the little tremblers, while his was all love and gentleness. 
Time and distance soon interposed between the pupil and the 
youthful preceptor, and he knew nothing of his career. He read 
from the papers that a lawyer in Savannah was named Harden, 
but it never occurred to him that be was his beloved teacher, 
until thrown in contact with him as student or lawyer in after 
years. Since then he kept informed of his progress, and has had 
business and social intercourse with him. Others knew as well, 
or better than the writer, that the promise of the youth was even 
more than sustained in his manhood at every stage. It was the 
destiny of the writer to appear before him as a judge, and to be 
associated with him in professional enterprises. In these con- 
nections, it was manifest that the kindness and justice of the 
youth were enlarged and matured in the man. His native 


HON. EDWARD J. HARDEN. Bi: 


modesty was fully equal to his other excellent qualities of head 
and heart. He was not vain of himself or his useful achieve- 
ments, in professional or private life. As a consequence, there 
was no one deputed to trumpet his fame. All the acts of his 
very honorable and useful life stand upon their own merits.. It 
is known to but few, but the present Code of Georgia bears testi- 
mony to his learning and industry. Many chapters on most im- 
portant subjects in the body of the book, and a// the laws in refer- 
ence to the City of Savannah, are from his pen, and adopted by 
the Commissioners. These, with his other achievements of a 
professional and literary character, will endure, while the more 
brilliant but meteoric fame of others will be forgotten. And as 
long as a boy lives who went to school to him he will be /oved, 
and his children inculeated in the same divine attribute. It is 
meet this should be so—for love was the law of his nature—not 
occasional or fitful, but constant and uniform—such as Timrod, 
the Burns of the South, has depicted in one of his sonnets, 
worthy of quotation here, and of universal dissemination: 

Most men know love but as a part of life; 

They hide it in some corner of the breast, 

Even from themselves ; and only when they rest 

In the brief pauses of that daily strife, 

Wherewith the world might else be not so rife, 

They draw it forth (as one draws forth a toy 

To soothe some ardent kiss-exacting boy), 

And hold it up to sister, child or wife. 


Ah, me! why may not love and life be one ? 
Why walk we thus alone, when by our side 
Loye, like a visible God, might be our guide? 
How would the marts grow noble! and the street 
Worn like a dungeon floor by weary feet, 

Seen then like a golden court-way of the sun! 





IN MEMORIAM. 


Diep, at the Indian Springs, April 19th, 1873, Hon. Epwarp 
J. Harpen, of this city. 
“The earth is poorer than it was, 
A noble soul hath passed away, 
The keen bright intellect has fled, 
The form returned to clay. 
And can no love or friendship keep 
Our dear ones from Death’s icy sleep ?” 


12 IN MEMORIAM. 


We cling closely to our earthly treasures, we clasp our frail, 
weak arms around them ; but death is ever near, with unfolded 
pinions, quivering for flight, ready to obey the mandate, and 
snatch our idols from our arms. 

Hon. E. J. Harden was a native of Bryan county, but removed 
to this city in early manhood, where a life of usefulness bears 
testimony to the integrity of his character. True Christianity 
controlled his actions through hfe, and his Savior’s last com- 
mand, “Come up higher,’ found him ready; and with the words 
of social converse on his lips, his spirit gently passed away. No 
more will he fill positions of honor or of trust; no more will he 
preside in our earthly courts; but in the court of Heaven he fills 
the seat assigned him by the Ruler of the Universe. His place is 
vacant in the Chureh and in the Sabbath School, and tue last sad 
tribute of the Scholars, when each one placed a floral offering on 
the casket that held his mortal remains, was indeed due the 
memory of him who had taught them how to die. 


“The memory of the just is blest.” 


Then leave the saint to sleep, 
Nor sorrow o’er his loss. 
Why should we wildly weep? 
He left on earth the cross, 
And from the grave his dust shall rise, 
In God’s own image in the skies. 
FRIEND. 


SavannaH, April 29th, 1873. 





From the Savannah Republican, Sunday, 4th May, 1873. 


THE LATE, 1.0 Ne bk. SS HARDER 


A memorial sermon will be preached this morning in the First 
Presbyterian church, in Monterey square, by the Rev. Dr. D. H. 
Porter, in commemoration of the life, character and death of Hon. 
E. J. Harden, who held a high position in the church, and was 
one of its most beloved officers. We give this public notice that 
the many friends of the deceased may know and be present. 


4 


HON. EDWARD J. HARDEN. te 


From the Savannah Republican, Sunday, 4th May, 1873. 


SUPERIOR COURT OF CHATHAM COUNTY. 


There will be a meeting in the room of the Superior Court of 
Chatham County, at half past nine o’clock Tuesday morning, to 
receive the report of the committee appointed to prepare resolu- 
tions in memory of the Hon. Edward J. Harden. The members 
of the Bar are respectfully invited to attend. 





From the Savannah Morning News, Monday, 5th May, 1873. 


HON. HE. J. HARDEN. 
SYNOPSIS OF A MEMORIAL DISCOURSE DELIVERED IN THE FIRST PRESBY- 
TERIAN CHURCH, MAY 47H, 1873, BY THE PASTOR. 








I do not know how I can better respond to the suggestions of 
this occasion than by calling your attention for a little while to 
the 26th verse of the 13th chapter of Acts, “David, after he had 
served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep.” 
Short as this record is, no man ever had left behind him a richer 
biography; no marble monument ever bore a nobler epitaph, and 
when we remember that it was uttered by the tongue cf inspira- 
tion, we are constrained to believe that the tribute to the memory 
of this minstrel monarch and sweet singer of Israel, is faithful to 
Facts in his case, which is more, perhaps, than can be said of some 
of the glowing inscriptions which adorn many gorgeous 
sepulchres. 

It is said of this great and good man that he “served his own 
generation;” the idea is, that the “will of God,” the law of God, 
was the rule or standard by which he conducted his life and 
moulded his character, and that the glory of God was the motive 
which prompted him to the service of his generation. With his 
eye fixed upon this glory of God as the one great end to be 
achieved, he went forth under the holy and divine impulse to 
serve his generation and to do good to his fellow-men; that is to 


14 IN MEMORIAM. 


say, in devoting himself to the service of his generation and 
laboring for the good of his fellow-men, he made the will of God, 
the rule and glory of God, the ultimate end of his existence. It 
is abundantly declared in Scripture (and reason will lead us to 
the same conclusion). that the will of God is the only safe rule 
which should direct and control our life, and that this rule, when 
properly applied, will lead us to the glory of God as the ultimate 
end of our being. Man was made to glorify God. As the de- 
pendent creature of His bounty, as one who cannot live or move, 
or breathe, or think, without permission of divine will, the 
highest and noblest end of his being is to love and serve, and 
thereby glorify God; and when we remember the superior excel- 
lence and glory of divine character, the natural obligation is sus- 
tained by a moral force equally as strong, and the two togetlier 
bind us to duty in bonds inseparable. In illustration of this 
point I need searcely remark that to glorify God, or give glory to 
God, is not to add anything to His essential glory—not to give 
him something which He did not have before—He always was and 
always will be infinitely blessed and glorious in His own adorable 
perfections; when man is glorified it is by adding something to 
him, but when God is glorified it is simply by making known or 
revealing what He already is, His character and perfections. The 
more we know of the creature, the more do wesee his imperfec- 
tion, frailty and sin, and he who is best acquainted with human 
nature and has most diligently studied the character and history 
of the human heart, is best disposed to exaggerate what is called 
the “dignity and glory of man.” 

But it is quite contrary with respect to God. The more we 
know of Him, the more disposed we shall be to worship and 
adore His greatness and tremble at His holiness. Just in pro- 
portion as we understand and appreciate His character and ap- 
prehend His nature and perfections, in the same proportion shall 
we be inclined to render Him that obedience and love which He 
requires. To give glory to God, therefore, is simply to make 
known what God is, to reflect His glory and to reveal the excel- 
lence of His character. It is in this way God is glorified by the 
material universe. ‘The heavens declare the glory of God, and 
the firmament showeth His handiwork,” because they are evi- 
dences of His wisdom and power. Itis in the same way the 
people of God glorify Him, by reflecting His glory, by showing to 
the world what God is, by manifesiing, according to their measure 


HON. EDWARD J. HARDEN. 5 


the glorious perfections of His character, hence that man gives 
most glory to God who is most like God, who lives and labors 
most in accordance with the will of God. And as His people are 
moral and intelligent creatures, it therefore comes to pass, that 
the degree of glory given to God by them is far greater than that 
which is given by the inanimate and irrational creation, for while 
this latter does show forth the praises of our God—while His 
name and glory are written in letters of light all over the starry 
skies above us, and traced in syllables of beauty upon the flowery 
earth beneath us, yet there are some of His most blessed and 
adorable attributes, some of the most lovely features of His 
character which cannot be displayed by them; His holiness, and 
justice, and grace, that grace which pardons the guilty and purifies 
the soul, could never be impressed upon senseless matter; these 
must be displayed, if displayed at all, by moral, intelligent 
creatures, and just as man is acted upon by these attributes, and 
becomes the medium through which they are made known to His 
fellows—just to that degree does he glorify God. Every believer, 
therefore, every man who has been regenerated by the Spirit of 
God becomes in a certain sense a revelation of God “an epistle 
known and read of all men;” he throws out upon others and back 
to God as from a reflecting surface, the rays of that glory which 
proceeded originally from God, and God takes pleasure in be- 
holding His own perfections mirrored in the hearts and illustrated 
in the lives of His people. ‘The Lord taketh pleasure in His 
people, in them that face Him and hope in His mercy.” It is 
thus that we are to glorify God, the will of God becomes the rule of 
our life, the glory of God the end of our existence, and we shall 
be prepared to go forth as David did, according to the will of 
God, to serve our generation, laboring for the good of our fellow- 
men, and thus manifesting the second element, which enters into 
the composition of a life and character such as God approves. It 
is a noble and exalted purpose to live for the good of others; it 
is a blessed mission to make the world happier and better from our 
living in it, a mission which the angels of Heaven might justly 
envy, and which brought the Saviour into the world and induced 
Him to labor and sufferand die. In the presence of such a 
spirit as that which prompted Jesus of Nazareth to despise the 
shame and endure the Cross, in the light of His blessed and 
glorious example, how miserable appears the spirit of the man 
who lives and labors for nothing but himself, whose aspirations 


16 IN MEMORIAM. 


never go beyond the narrow domain of his own individuality, 
whose whole life begins and centres and ends in himself and for . 
himself. Nay, brethren, we owe it to God, to ourselves and to 
the world, to “serve our generation.” No man has the right to 
cut himself off from his fellows, and ignore the claims of the 
world upon him. No man can do it without perverting the very 
principles of his own nature, and defrauding the world and God 
both of their just and righteous due. We are by nature social 
beings, endowed with certain feelings and sympathies, and en- 
vironed by certain wants and necessities, which lead us to form 
associations and connections with others, of the strongest and 
tenderest kind. The whole net work of society is so deftly woven, 
that all men are bound together by ties of affection, or business, 
or blood, and are transmitted to another and another until we 
know not when vibration may cease. Every man has his measure 
of influence, greater or less, according to circumstances, whether 
he sways a sceptre or drives a plane; in the counting room or in 
the cabinet; the shepherd driving his flock to the fields, or the 
warrior leading the armies to battle—every man that lives exerts 
some degree of influence in the world—if he moves at all he 
must necessarily affect those that are about him, and that in- 
fluence lives and works oftentimes long after man himself has 
passed away and been forgotten. There is a double immortality 
for every man—-an immortality in the future, stretching far away 
into the hidden depths of eternity, where an angel’s wing cannot 
follow it, and an immortality in the past, living from one genera- 
tion to another in the effect of an evilor a useful life. Who of 
us here to-day does not bear mark for good or evil, left upon him 
by some hand long since mouldered into dust? Who ean esti- 
mate the power of a single word or a single thought, when that 
thought comes warm and glowing from the heart? The thoughts 
of men who lived long years ago are breathing still and working 
mighty results in the history of the worid; and words spoken far 
back in the dimness of hoary antiquity are living still, and shall 
never die. 

I honestly believe that these principles were illustrated in 
a large measure by the life and history of him whom we knew 
so long and loved so well, and whom two weeks ago we laid to 
his rest in the tomb. I think it can be truthfully said of him, 
that after he had served his own generation by the will of God, 
he fell on sleep, and in a conversation held with him but a few 


r 


HON. EDWARD J. HARDEN. 17 


weeks before his death, alluding to the possibility of such an 
event, he begged that I should deliver no funeral discourse over 
his remains—that I should have only the plain and simple service 
for the dead, reading the 90th Psalm and 15th chapter Ist Cor- 
inthians—and that if anything at all were said,it should rather be 
words of comfort to the loved ones left behind him. I religiously 
complied with his request on that sad occasion, but have exercised 
my prerogative as pastor on this occasion, and yield to my own 
feelings and sense of propriety in making the service of this 
morning tributary to his memory, as having been so long identi- 
fied with the history of this church. 

Judge Harden was no ordinary man—he was a man of mark— 
he has left his impress upon the history of histimes. It is not for 
me to speak of his record at the bar and on the bench, in the line 
of that noble profession whose sublime mission it is to defend the 
right and expose the wrong. 

His fellows, by whom he was revarded as “Primus inter pares,” 
will see that his laborsin this field of exalted service are not for- 
gotten. Ishould like to dwell, if time permitted, upon his signal 
success in the cultivation of literary pursuits. Rarely ever has a 
man, so encumbered with professional and other duties, obtained 
such excellence in this regard. He was regarded as authority on 
all questions of ancient literature, while his mind was richly stored 
with the best thoughts and purest language of the English clas- 
sics. Without any appearance of pedantic display, his conver- 
sation was exceedingly interesting and instructive to those whose 
taste ran in the same direction. Now I come to speak of him in 
a character upon which I love to dwell. I have never known a 
more diligent student of the Bible. Its language was as familiar 
to him as household words. He studied the Bible habitually, he 
studied prayerfully, critically. There were very few men outside 
of the ministerial profession more familiar with the letter and 
spirit of it. He was thoroughly conversant with all the great - 
theological questions of the Church, from the earliest ages of its 
history, and his pastor is in no small degree indebted to him for 
instruction and information on these points. His mind, with the 
analytic power and legal acumen, for which he was distinguished, 
grasped the great fundamental principles of the doctrines of 
grace with a tenacity that could not be weakened, and a con- 
viction that could not be shaken. I well remember, some 
years ago using an expression in the ordinary ministrations 

2 


18 IN MEMORIAM. 


of the pulpit which seemed to take great hold of his mind, and 
to which he afterwards often referred. Speaking of the justifica- 
tion of the sinner before God and his dependence upon Christ, 
the expression was that Christ, to whom we look as our substitute 
and surety, was “legally righteous and personally holy,” and 
therefore, all sufficient to meet the case of any poor sinner that 
ever fled to him for refuge—and not many months before his last: 
illness began he said to me, “my hope of salvation is in Christ 
only+-who is personally holy and legally righteous, and therefore 
I can confidently trust him.” He was born of a pious ancestry, 
early brought under the influence of Godly examples, his young 
mind was largely moulded in things intellectual and spiritual by 
the learned and pious MceWhir, who was so influential in turning 
the early history of Southern Georgia into the channels of virtue 
and religion. But it was not until the year 1845, that Judge 
Harden made a public profession of religion, uniting with this 
church, then under the pastoral care of Rev. J. B. Ross, who, with 
the Elders that received him, Maxwell, Faries and Cumming, 
went before him to the Beantiful Land of Rest. 

In 1847 he was elected a ruling elder in this church and clerk 
of the session, which positions he held to the day of his death, 
besides being all the while faithful and diligent in caring for the 
prayer-meeting and Sabbath school, and I think those of you 
who were present here on the day of his burial, cannot soon forget 
the beautiful and touching tribute paid to his memory by the 
teachers and children of the school. It would not be seemly to 
lift the veil which enclosed his family and domestic life, to which 
I was ever so freely admitted, and in which he was so loved and 
honored. Nor can I trust myself to speak of my own personal 
relations to him. I can tell you about that elsewhere, but not 
here and now. Judge Harden’s last days were full of physical 
pain and suffering, and yet borne with Christian patience. 

Often and often again at the twilight hour it was my privilege 
to bow at his bedside and join with him in prayer, and on every 
occasion his expression was: “I am in the hands of God; He 
will do what is best.” This spirit characterized him to the last. 
With all his learning and culture, with all his legal and scholastic 
lore, his faith in Christ was that of a little child, and in one of 
the last prayers he offered, at the Springs, whither he had gone 
in the hope of regaining his health, his petition was that he might 
be spared to return to the bosom of his family, but if not, God’s 


“HON. EDWARD J. HARDEN. 19 


will be done; and so, with unfaltering faith in God, he yielded 
up his mortal life, “having served his own generation, by the will 
of God, he fell on sleep.” How blest in life or in death is the 
righteous man. 


“He feeds in pastures large and fair, 
Of love and truth divine— 

Oh! child of God, Oh, glory’s heir, 
How rich a lot is thine— 

A hand almighty to defend, 
An ear for every call, 

An honored life. a peaceful end, 
And Heaven to crown it all!” 


I cannot more appropriately close this service than by reading . 
the following paper, unanimously adopted by the Session of this 
Church; a paper drawn up by one who for many’ years stood 
side by side with our deceased friend in the work of the. Church, 
bearing with him the heat and burden of the day, with a fraternal 
and Christian love which even the cold waters of death cannot 
quench, but which shall be renewed in better and brighter scenes 
hereafter: — 


IN MEMORIAM—THE LATE JUDGE HARDEN. 


At a meeting of the Session of the First. Presbyterian Church, 
held on Saturday evening, the following paper, reported by a 
committee at a previous meeting, was received and unanimously 
adopted : 


Again are we called upon to acknowledge the hand of death in 
our midst, removing one of our number from time to eternity. 

Our beloved Brother Elder, associate and friend, Hon. Edward 
J. Harden,’ has gone to his final rest, leaving us to finish the 
‘journey of life and discharge the duties allotted to us here until 
the summons shall come to us, and God grant that whenever it may 
come we may be enabled to leave behind us the same joyful hope 
that he has left of a “departure to be with Christ.” 

Judge Harden became a member of this church upon the pro- 
fession of his faith in Jesus Christ, in September, 1845, and in 
December, 1847, he was elected, ordained and installed a Ruling 
Elder, and at the first meeting or session thereafter, in Decembér 
of same year, he was elected Clerk of Session, and continued to 
discharge the duties of that office (until prevented by sickness a 
few months past) in a manner remarkable for correctness and 
comprehensive brevity. 


20 : IN MEMORIAM. 


For more than a quarter of a century he discharged the duties 
of Ruling Elder with faithfulness and fidelity, and to the entire 
satisfactton of hisassociates and the whole church. His eminent 
legal attainments and highly cultivated mind fitted him especially 
for the discharge of the duties of an officer in the Church. His 
wise counsel and prudent advice have been eminently valuable 
in promoting the interests of the Church, both spiritual and 
temporal, in days that are past. His place inthe Sanctuary and 
the Prayer Meeting was rarely ever vacant. For many years he was 
devoted to the interest of the Sunday School, both as a teacher 
and superintendent, and his memory will be cherished there with 
sincere affection both by teachers and scholars. 

In his domestic and social relations, Judge Harden was pre- 
eminent. Few men have been more deservedly honored and be- 
loved in the family circle, and his death leaves a blank, not only 
there but in the hearts of many a warmly attached friend, that 
time can scarcely ever fill. In view of this sad bereavement, 
be it 

Resolved, That in the death of our dearly beloved Brother Elder, 
Hon. Edward J. Harden, we have sustained a loss, individually, 
as a Session and as a Church, which the Great Head of the 
Church alone can supply, and to Him we look to sanctify to us 
this heavy dispensation of His Divine Providence, and make it 
the means of more earnest devotion to the work of our office, and 
that He will make us the humble instruments in His hands of 
building up the Church and promoting His Glory. 

Resolved, That we tender our most cordial and heartfelt sym- 
pathy to the family of our beloved brother, in this their hour of 
deep affliction, under which God alone can sustain, console and 
comfort them; and to Him we commend them, with our most 
earnest prayers that the bright example they have had before 
them may lead them to “a close walk with God,” and when they, 
too, depart, they may be united to him on that “blissful shore” 
where there is uo more parting. 

Resolved, That a copy of this action be placed upon our 
records, and that a certitied copy be sent to the family of our de- 
ceased brother; also that copies be sent to the city papers and 
the Southern Presbyterian for publication. 


HON. EDWARD J. HARDEN. 91 


' From the Savannah Morning News, Wednesday, 7th May, 1873, 


THE SAVANNAH BAR. 


TRIBUTE 70 A DISTINGUISHED DECEASED MEMBER. 


A large meeting of the members of the Savannah Bar was held 
yesterday, in pursuance of adjournment, in the Superior Court 
room, at 94 o’clock. The committee appointed at the last meet- 
ing offered, through their Chairman, Henry Williams, Esq., the 
following as the 


REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE IN MEMORY OF EDWARD J. HARDEN. 


The Committee appointed,to prepare and present to the Bar 
resolutions concerning the death of the late Judge Harden, re- 
spectfully report the following: 

The members of the Savannah Bar desire, upon this occasion, 
to express in a few simple words the sorrow which they sincerely 
feel for the loss of their friend and associate, the late Honorable 
Edward J. Harden; and also their appreciation of his worth as a 
lawyer and as a man. : 

Judge Harden, at the time of his death, was one of the oldest 
members of our fraternity, and had, therefore, during his many 
years of practice, become intimately associated, personally and 
professionally, with all of us who now survive him, as well as 
with many who have passed away. 

His memory is linked with the recollections of numbers of our 
Bar who entered upon professional life and labor nearly at the 
_ same time with himself, while it is also closely connected with the 
experience of our younger brethren who have, at more recent 
dates, become associated with us. But, in every point of contact, 
without regard to age or professional position, the name of Judge 
Harden will always suggest the ready recognition of a generous 
and kindly sympathy, of which he seemed, by common consent, 
to be the centre and the exponent. ‘a 

Without attempting any fulsome eulogy or immeasured praise 
concerning the character and abilities of Judge Harden, which 
his own modesty would, during his lifetime, have repelled and 
disclaimed, we are certain that in all candor and truthfulness we 
can offer this well merited tribute to his memory. 

As a Judge, he was upright and just. As a counsellor, he was 


22 IN MEMORIAM. 

wise, prudent and safe. ‘As. an advocate and attorney, he was - 
earnest, zealous, faithful and stern in integrity. He was dis- 
tinguished in the profession by his laborious industry, by his 
great legal acquirements, and by his devotion to his duties and ~ 
to the interests of his chents. In hterary attainments he was 
a ripe and accurate scholar. 

In his personal intercourse with the members of the Bar, and 
with his fellow-citizens generally, he always manifested a genial 
temper and an affectionate disposition, which attracted to him 
the friendship of all whom he had occasion to meet. 

He was ever willing and ready to assist any member of the pro- 
fession by his labor and advice. His extensive and varied legal 
reading, together with his remarkable power of memory, enabled 
him, at all times, to afford prompt and reliable counsel in a diffi- 
cult case to any brother who needed help. 

There is probably not a member of this Bar who has not, at 
some time or other, received valuable aid from him in the pre- 
paration or management of his causes. 

His private life was universally acknowledged to have been 

Pure and virtuous. In truth, few men die who can carry, as we 
believe he will, to the tribunal of the Almighty, the record of a 
heart so free from guile and of a conscience so void of offense to- 
wards God and towards man. 

We shall miss him in our consultations and counsels; in the 
forum, and in the daily habits-of customary friendly intercourse. 

We feel that his death has left a vacancy among us that cannot 
easily be filled, and that the absence of his familiar form from the 
places where we were wont to meet him, will long be a source of 
sadness to us all. 


The Committee suggest, for the consideration of this meeting, 
the following resolutions : 


1. Resolved, That the foregoing expresses the sentiments of 
the Savannah Bar upon the occasion of the death of the late 
How. Edward J. Harden. 


2. Resolved, That the Judge of the Superior Court of Chatham 
county, and of the Circuit Court of the United States, be re-- 
quested to have these proceedings entered upon their respective 
minutes. 


3. Resolved, That a copy of these proceedings be sent by the 


HON. EDWARD J. HARDEN. 23 


Secretary of this'‘meeting to the family of the deceased, and that 
the same be furnished for publication to the gazettes of this city. 
Henry WIttiAMs, 
Gero. A. MrRcEr, 
Aurrep B. Smuiru, 
Joun Brxz0, 
Committee. 


SavannaH, May 6, 1873. 

Upon the reading of the report, Hon. Julian Hartridge moved 
that it be adopted as read, and that a copy be furnished the 
United States Court to be recorded upon its minutes. The 
motion was seconded by Hon. W. W Paine, and carried. 

Henry R. Jackson, 


Chairman. 
Sami B. Avams, Secretary. 





PROCEEDINGS OF THE GEORGIA HISTORICAL 
SOCIETY. 





Groreta Histortcat Soctery’s Rooms, 
Armory Hatt, 20th April, 1873. 


A called meeting of the Society was held to take action in 
reference to the death.of the President, Hon. E. J. Harden. Dr. 
Charters, First Vice President, took the Chair, and W. W. Paine 
was requested to act as Secretary. 

On motion of Mr. Lancaster, a Committee of five was appointed 
to report suitable resolutions in relation to the death of our late 
President. The following gentlemen were appointed on that 
committee: Dr. R. D. Arnold Hon. Solomon Cohen, Wm. 8. 
Bogart, Dr. J. Harriss and Hon. T. M. Norwood. 

On motion of Dr. Harriss, the Society adjourned to attend in a 
body the funeral of the late President. 

W. W. Pars, Secretary pro tem. 


Geroreta Hisrorican Sociery, 
May 19th, 1873. } 


An adjourned meeting of the Society was held this evening, to 


94 IN MEMORIAM. 


receive the report of the Committee upon the death of our late 
President, Hon. E. J. Harden, Dr. W. M. Charters in the Chair. 

Dr. Arnold, Chairman of the Committee, then read the follow- 
ing 


REPORT: 


The Committee to whom was referred a resolution, adopted at - 
a called meeting of the Georgia Historical Society, held on the 
20th April, to adopt suit ble resolutions on the death of the Hon. 
E. J. Harden, late President of the Society, beg leave to report: 


Death makes a void in every family, which is never entirely 
filled. When a man dies, who, in addition to his position as head 
of a family, has occupied important trusts in a community, his 
loss is felt by it, as well as the private family. Such was the ease 
in relation to him, whose death, which occurred on the 19th 
April, 1873, we are now called on to deplore. Your committee 
will not intrude on the sacredness of private grief. ; 

An eminent member of the Bar, a learned Judge on the Bench, 
his professional brethren have already laid a graceful and well 

merited tribute upon his bier. A sincere Christian, for many 
years a presiding elder in the Presbyterian Church, his fellow- 

members have borne testimony to the faithful performance of his 
duties in that sphere. Indeed, a conscientious performance of 
all duties was a part and parcel of his nature. 

The affectionateness of his character, the kindness of his nature, 
the geniality of his disposition, were strongly evidenced in a large 
crowd of his Sunday School scholars who attended his obsequies 
as mourners. 

But our Society is connected with him by another important 
trust which he long filled amongst us. He was one of the mem- 
bers of this Society at its first formation,in the spring of 1839, 
And just here your committee wish to note the effect of early 
training. It may be trite, but it is true, 


Tis education forms the common mind— 
Just as the twig is bent, the tree’s inclined. 


Born in Bryan county, in the year 1813, and raised there, he 
had the good fortune to have in his family a man whose erudi- 
tion as a classical scholar has never been surpassed—a man who 
left his impress on several generations of our seaboard, which a 
prolonged life enabled him to sce, as the ripest of scholars, the best 


HON. EDWARD J. HARDEN. 25 


of instructors of youth. The older portion of my hearers will 
readily understand that I allude to Judge Harden’s step-grand- 
father, the venerable William MeWhir, D.D. 

The taste for classical learning thus implanted in the boy never 
left the man. It shaped his early course, it adorned his meridian 
career, it gilded the sunset of his life. He determined to study 
law, but as his means were limited, he was thrown upon his own 
resources, and determined to complete his literary education by 
teaching school, and at the same time accumulate means for his 
legalone The first acquaintance of the Chairman of your Com- 
mittee with Judge Harden, was formed in 1832, when he was 
attending a school examination at the Chatham Academy, of 
which the Rev. George White was the Principal, and in which 
Judge Harden was an assistant teacher. In after life, he con- 
stantly referred to this first acquaintance, which was the first 
link in the chain of friendship, which was broken by death 
only. After this, he taught in Glynn and Bryan counties 
until 1834, when he was admitted tothe Bar. Since that period, 
up to the time of his death, he resided constantly among us, and 
you have seen him gradually conquer the highest honors of his 
profession, and occupy the highest social, literary and religious 
positions in this community. His literary taste and acquirements 
made him take an active interest in the success of our Society, to 
the present prosperity of which his zeal and intelligence so largely 
contributed. He filled various important offices in it, and at the 
demise of the great and good Elhott, he was elected President, 
which office he filled up to the time of his death. 

In his personal relations with the world, ail who knew him will 
bear witness to his uniform courtesy, his geniality, and that 
genuine wit which renders intercourse with our fellow-men so 
attractive. 

His acquaintance with English literature was varied and exten- 
sive; particularly was he noted as a Shakspearian scholar. He 
always kept up his love for the classics, and few men whose lives 
are occupied with the duties of an active profession were his 
superior in this department of knowledge. Enough has been 
said to prove that Judge Harden was no ordinary man. 

Be it Resolved by the Georgia Historical Society, That in the death 
of Judge Harden, they have lost a valuable member of our com- 
munity, aripe scholar and a most efficient presiding officer; and 
that they deeply deplore his loss, at an age which, under ordinary 


26 IN MEMORIAM. 


circumstances, promised more years of prolonged usefulness in 
his various trusts in life. 

Resolved, That the sympathy of this Society be tendered to his 
afflicted family, and that a copy of this Report be forwarded to 
them; that it be spread upon the minutes of the Society, and be 
published in the newspapers of the city. 

R. D. Arnotp, Chairman. 

SavannaH, May 19, 1873. 


Upon motion to receive and adopt the Report of the Commit- 
tee, Mr. Wm. S. Bogart made the following remarks: 


Gentlemen of the Georgia Historical Society : 

The loss of such a man as Judge Harden, our late President, 
makes it eminently proper that we pay this tribute to his 
character. Both as a member of this committee, and as a personal 
friend, I desire to concur in these resolutions, exhibiting as they 
do, in fitting language and with generous appreciation, the main 
points of Judge Harden’s character; and in doing so, if I may be 
allowed, to say a few words expressive of my own esteem for him. 

Judge Harden, you are told by every one, and we feel it to be 
true, was no common man. Intellectually, morally and socially, 
he deserved all his reputation, and will bear to be studied. Men 
are said to derive their mental traits from the mother rather than 
the father. Of his father I knew nothing—he died, a young man, 
over fifty years ago. I remember with what interest in visiting 
the old homestead of his widow—the honored matron of a worthy 
family—I read the inscription on his tomb, “Died May 5th, 1821”— — 
the very day of Napoleon Bonaparte’s death, and now just past 
its fifty-second anniversary. In Judge Harden’s case I can well 
believe the saying, for I knew his mother well, and she had many 
of the traits of character which he possessed. His father’s death, 
when his son was less than eight years old, devolved on this ex- 
cellent mother the care of a household of young children to be 
reared and educated. And well did she perform the task. In 
her reduced circumstances, it was impossible to send them away 
from home, and for the want of a school near by, she employed 
for many years a home tutor, and thus supplied the needs of her 
own children and those of her neighbors. It is the best evidence 
of the judgment, steady purpose and good management of Mrs. 
Harden that she lived to train up her six children, honored and 
respected, educated them far better than is usual even now in a 


TION. EDWARD J. HARDEN. 27 


home school, aad retained all her life in possession the estate 
where her short married life was spent, and where her children 
were born. She died ten years ago, full of years, and full of the 
love and reverence of her children, and of the respect and 
attachment of her friends. I knew Mrs. Harden well, and I have 
in possession many of her letters—which I greatly prize—written 
in all the freedom of friendship, and full of humor and pleasantry 
combined with solid good sense, and expressed with ease and 
erace of composition—all of which qualities were inherited by 
her son. 

At the proper age, Judge Harden was sent to Sunbury to school, 
and there he enjoyed the rare advantge of instruction by a 
scholar, reared under the thorough training and discipline of a 
European University. This gentleman was the Reverend Dr. 
MeWhir, known to us all by reputation, who had married Judge 
Harden’s grandmother. Dr. McWhir had been invited to America 
by General Washington, and for some time had taught a school 
in Alexandria, Virginia. Ihave often heard the Judge speak with 
- great respect and gratitude of this old gentleman. He considered 
him the most learned scholar and the best teacher (though withal 
a very stern disciplinarian) that he had ever known; and the 
instances he used to quote of the Doctor’s readiness and fullness 
of knowledge, especially in the classics, verify this opinion. To 
him the Judge owed that scholastic knowledge which we all so 
often admired. The Doctor had laid broad and deep the 
foundation of his pupil’s education, especially in Latin, and had 
imbued him with such a taste and appreciation of its beauty and 
value, that not-the struggles of after life, nor the absorption of 
professional business, nor the length of years, availed to make 
him forget his early teaching, nor to lose his interest in classical 
studies. To that thorough and wise instruction, in which general 
culture-was based upon and grew up with technical knowledge, 
we must ascribe that very taste for cultivated pursuits in Judge 
Harden, which does not exist in many men of even more elaborate 
education, because of defective early training. 

How fond Judge Harden was of classical studies, how much 
his mind ran in that line, we all know; for this was a favorite 
subject of conversation, and filled his language with allusions to 
the life and literature of the ancients, and enriched it with the 
most pertinent quotations. His knowledge of these subjects was 
both accurate and critical. He was authority—excellent authority 


28 IN MEMORIAM. 


for a non-professional scholar—on most branches of polite 
literature, on many historical questions, on poetical quotations, 
and on a great variety of matters connected with the English 
language, orthography and orthoepy particularly. 

Had he been a man of leisure, not burdened with the éares of 
a laborious profession, we have ample reason to know how he 
would have employed it, by recalling what he has done, under 
circumstances that would with most men have precluded all 
literary effort. Nothing but a love for literary pursuits, and a 
training that fitted him for them, could have decoyed a lawyer of 
large practice from his business to the thankless task of writing 
the life of the great State Rights Governor of Georgia, or to take 
up as a piece of by-play or mental recreation the coma of a 
short tour in neat and graceful Latin. 

As indicative of the “ruling passion,” I may state a fact that I 
have learned within a few days. This very winter. when he was 
convalescing from his severe attack, he busied some of his leisure 
hours, which otherwise would have been tedious, in translating 
into accurate and elegant English the famous Preface to Livy’s 
History—the sixty lines of the original Latin, remarkable for 
their conciseness and obscurity—and this paper, most probably 
his last literary effort, written with his characteristic care and 
neatness, is now the highly prized possession of one of the 
members of this Society. | 

Equally ulustrative of his classical taste, and of his pride in 
the Historical Society, is his agency in the production of the 
beautiful little volume written by Mr. Anthony Barclay on “Wilde’s 
Summer Rose.” To Judge Harden is due the reproduction, to 
gratify the taste of a new generation, of this famous so-called 
plagiarism. Written at his request, dedicated to him as President 
of the Historical Society, and put forth with a preface by himself, 
he took a most lively interest in its publication, revised the 
manuscript with all the affection of the writer himself, guarded it 
very solicitously against typographical errors, and by his taste 
and scholarship, seconded by the printer’s skill, secured for the 
Society a volume to be envied. Had Judge Harden done nothing 
else to distinguish his Presidency, his agency in bringing into 
existence this beautiful gem would entitle him to our lasting 
gratitude. 

Judge Harden was a man of most lively temperament. His 
spirits were as buoyant as a child’s, overflowing with gayety and 


HON. EDWARD J. HARDEN. 29 


wit, restrained only by unwillingness to hurt the feelings of 
others. There was nothing vindictive in his vein of humor. He 
loved to say witty things, for his mind overflowed with.them, but 
he never said them in harshness or in gall. Some may have 
thought his habit of punning to be frivolous, or beneath his 
dignity; but it was the overflow of a mind brimful of witty 
conceits, (like the streams from a fountain of sweet waters) and 
the expression of a heart that loved social life and wished to see 
others happy. 

Judge Harden’s memory was wonderfully tenacious. It was 
surprising to see the multitude of facts, incidents and anecdotes 
he had stored up in his mind, and how pleasantly and aptly he 
could quote them. Whether practical incident, or moral truth, 
or verbal expression, he used each and all with singular impres- 
siveness and propriety. 

The readiness, too, with which he grasped anything new was 
also characteristic. It needed no elaborate explanation, nor 
many words, to give him the gist of a new subject. He saw the 
point at once, and as quickly understood it. His mind in this 
respect was equally versatile and flexible. 

A flow of deeper feeling was in Judge Harden’s heart than a 
stranger would see. Toamere acquaintance he may have seemed 
at times to trifle. His very volatility of mind may have led some 
to think he had no real earnestness or warmth. But underneath 
this outward gayety there flowed warm and gushing feelings of 
affection, gentleness and delicacy, sentiment and devotion to 
principle, that were not meant to be seen by the world; and I 
have often thought that this outward pleasantry was put on to 
hide these very treasures of the heart. 

Men, particularly, are unwilling that the world shall see all the 
tenderness of their nature, or look down into those depths where 
are nursed the well springs of the affections. Hence, I believe 
our lamented friend had an inner life of domestic affection, of 
kindly sympathy and trusting friendship, that, covered up at 
times by surface gayety and a little brusqueness of manner, it was 
not the privilege of every one to behold. It is the pleasant duty 
of us who knew him best to unveil this charming feature of his 
character, and to give him the credit which he did not claim for 
himself. 

As a lawyer and a judge, I need say nothing. I am not 
competent to estimate Judge Harden in these relations, nor is it 


30 IN MEMORIAM. 


necessary. His brethren of the Bar have done him ample justice 
in this respect. But as a friend, intimate and well known, I have 
desired to offer to his memory my humble tribute, as to a man of 
warm and sincere heart, of high integrity and personal honor, of 
tender affection and true friendship, of generous impulses and 
freedom from harshness; and as a man of trained intellect, 
quickness of perception, large culture, and with a wealth— 
alike of critical knowledge and general information. In these 
respects I esteemed and valued him, and in these respects I feel 
assured we shall all miss him. 


On motion, the Society requested a copy of Mr. Bogart’s remarks 
to be entered on the minutes. 


On motion of Dr. Charters, in the Chair, the Memorial 
Committee was directed to have printed in pamphlet form, all the 
proceedings and resolutions of various public bodies, with such 
private communications as are obtainable, relative to the death 
of Judge Harden. 

The Society also appointed Messrs. W. Grayson Mann, J. 8. F. 
Lancaster and John O. Ferrill a committee to report at the next 
meeting on the probability of obtaining for our Hall a portrait of 
Judge Harden. 

The Society then adjourned. 

Easton Yonee, Secretary. 





HON. EDWARD J. HARDEN. 31 


The Committee are glad to append the following statement, 
made by one of their number, which is interesting, as referring 
to a critical period in Judge Harden’s life, and highly honorable 
to him as a citizen of Savannah: 


CARD BY ONE OF THE COMMITTEE. 


One incident in the life of Judge Harden is well worthy of 
being recorded, as strongly evidencing the estimation in which he 
was held by his fellow-citizens. 

At the close of the war, Judge Harden returned to Savannah, 
when he was arrested by the military authorities, and was about 
being sent to Fort Pulaski. The writer of this card interposed 
for the purpose of having him bailed; but a bond, with good 
security, in the sum of one hundred thousand dollars, was 
demanded. The writer prepared the bond, and every name 
signed as surety was voluntarily tendered—and indeed several 
were refused the privilege of becoming his bail, simply because 
there was no room to add another name. And when the bond 
was presented to the Provost Marshal, it represented a value of 
over three hundred thousand dollars. 











= 





AA til 





e. 


